Field Hockey Injuries Tumble, Says New Study

"A study conducted by researchers at Hasbro Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Fairfax (VA) County Public Schools and the University of Colorado School of Medicine has found that nationally mandated protective eyewear results in a greater than three-fold reduced risk of eye and orbital injuries in high school (HS) girls' field hockey players without increasing rates of concussion." That's the word from Science Digest. Read more.

Field Hockey Eye Injuries Down

"Fewer high school field hockey players get head and face injuries when they're required to don protective eyewear, according to a new comparison of states with and without those policies in effect," according to Yahoo! News. "Researchers were looking into worries that the equipment, while preventing eye injuries, might encourage players to get more physical and violent overall - which they termed "the gladiator effect" - leading to an increase in injuries....However that did not appear to be the case, and concussion rates, for example, were similar in states where eyewear was and was not required during the study." Read more.

Field Hockey Players Say New Protective Wear Creates Dangers

"The National Federation of High Schools, of which the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is a member, mandated protective eyewear for field hockey players starting with this season. But the mandate doesn't appear to be popular with the players it's designed to protect," notes Philly.com. "The players have a choice of two approved styles, a cage-like mask, much like a baseball catcher's mask but only covering the eyes, or something that looks like swimming goggles. Both types have their disadvantages, the players say. Most of the complaints say the eyewear restricts their vision, especially when a player is looking down. Some players said that makes wearing them more dangerous than not wearing any protection." Read more.

Field Hockey Players Required to Wear Eye Protection

"High school field hockey teams must adapt to a major rule change for the third consecutive season this fall, with players across the country now required to wear eye protection," reports the PittsburghTribune-Review. "This comes two years after a mandate on stick curvature and one year after the National Federation of State High Schools Associations adopted the self-start rule, which permitted players to restart play themselves -- without any sort of insertion pass." Read more.